as a BUCKEYE fan, I could certainly understand your position. Penn State won the head-to-head battle and there is no denying that, albeit a fluke, yet I give them credit. The fact of the matter is that Ohio State beat four top 10 teams, two of them on the road, with 44 freshman on the team. How do you explain Penn State jumping ahead of Michigan when Michigan destroyed them?

Ohio State lost via blocked kick on the road to the No. 5 team in the country. but Penn State still lost twice, to the No. 6 team in the country (a team Ohio State beat) and to Pitt.

The Buckeyes played Oklahoma in non-conference play and stomped the Sooners in Norman. The Nittany Lions played Pitt and lost via last-second interception. (At the time, we thought that result was important because of how it pertained to Franklin’s employment prospects. It ended up deciding a Playoff spot.)

Ohio State is second in both the AP and coaches polls; Penn State is fifth in both.

The Buckeyes are third in S&P+, second in Sagarin, and ahead of the Nittany Lions in nearly every other computer ranking.

Scoring margin against six common opponents: Ohio State plus-149, Penn State plus-78.

That’s why Ohio State is in the Playoff and Penn State is not.